Constructed Identities

Over the past several years I have been drawing and painting young adults who are gender queer and identity fluid. One of these is my child; others are their friends. The imagery is drawn with their permission from their Instagram accounts in an effort to use photo references that are already in the public sphere.

I have begun to think about my role as the viewer and creator of the imagery in response to the question, “how much are these portraits actually self-portraits?” Playing with translucent layers of drafting film, I am seeing where the boundaries of self and other start to become visible, and where the overlay creates a blurring of these boundaries.